John Weddell

John Weddell (1583-1642) was an English sea captain who worked for the Muscovy Company and the East India Company. He was best-known for his introduction of 38,421 pairs of eyeglasses to the late Ming Dynasty on 27 June 1637 at a time where the Iberian Union dominated world trade.

Biography
John Weddell was originally a mariner in the service of the Russian Empire's Muscovy Company, but in October 1617 he joined the East India Company. Weddell was also an ally of the Assassin Order, who wanted his help in mapping the globe, which could help them find other brotherhoods and help them in their search for the First Civilization temples. In 1621 Weddell was given command of four East India Company ships and led the attack on Kishm and Ormuzin 1622 in a joint attack with the Safavid Empire of Persia. In 1624 he fought against the Iberian Union alongside the United Provinces during the Dutch-Portuguese War, routing a Portuguese fleet and sending it back to Goa. Two years later, when he returned to England, he was brought under scrutiny for private trading, but the suit against him was privately arranged with the help of the Assassins.

In 1633, he lost his entire estate when his vessel Charles burnt down in Surat due to the carelessness of the master of the Swallow. The captain of the Swallow returned to England in irons, and Weddell returned home on another ship, the Jonas. In 1636 he returned to the East Indies in an expedition under Sir William Courten, although he failed to trade in Canton in the Ming Empire due to Portuguese intrigues. He was, however, able to deliver 38,421 pairs of eyeglasses to the Chinese in June of 1637 in the first Chinese usage of glasses. That same year, he supplied firearms to Assassin Ma Jianguo, who was in need of his help in taking down the Templar Order-backed Manchus. Weddell gave him the recipes for crafting European firearms and bombs, before leaving to England in 1640. He died in India as an interloper in 1642.